Sponsors (2)
Introduced June 12, 2025 by Suzanne Bonamici · Last progress June 12, 2025
The bill expands and stabilizes maternal health coverage, provider payments, workforce support, and data transparency to keep local maternity services available, but does so at the cost of higher federal and state spending, new administrative burdens, and risks to provider finances and oversight.
Low-income pregnant people on Medicaid/CHIP will have continuous coverage through pregnancy and for 12 months postpartum, improving access to prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care.
Local and low‑volume maternity providers (especially rural hospitals) receive stronger and more predictable revenue support through statutory Medicaid/CHIP payment floors, targeted annual 'anchor' payments, and federal implementation grants, increasing the likelihood that local obstetric services remain open.
Federal Commissioned Corps deployments and a $150M annual investment strengthen rapid workforce backup and training to maintain maternal health services in areas facing hospital closures or shortages.
States will likely face higher Medicaid costs and new mandatory coverage requirements (and related legislative or administrative changes), putting pressure on state budgets and taxpayers unless fully offset.
New and expanded reporting, study, and qualification requirements for states, providers, and hospitals create substantial administrative burdens and compliance costs.
Federal taxpayers will shoulder increased federal spending (grants, Corps funding, and program implementation costs), including a recurring $150M annual appropriation beginning FY2027.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Requires state maternity cost studies and HHS reporting, makes 12-month Medicaid/CHIP pregnancy coverage mandatory, expands federal maternal-health surge authority, and adds hospital closure notice/reporting rules.
Requires states to study and report the costs of providing maternity, labor, and delivery services and directs HHS to compile those studies into a federal report. Makes 12-month continuous full-benefit pregnancy-related coverage mandatory in Medicaid and CHIP instead of optional, expands federal authority to deploy Commissioned Corps personnel to respond to urgent maternal health care needs (like hospital closures or loss of trained staff), and adds new hospital obligations and Medicare cost-reporting requirements related to obstetric unit closures. Imposes specific timelines: an initial state cost study within 24 months and every five years thereafter; hospitals must give 180 days' notice before closing an obstetric unit and supply a community-impact analysis; Medicare cost-reporting changes apply to periods beginning on or after July 1, 2026; most Medicaid/CHIP coverage changes take effect the first day of the first calendar quarter on or after one year after enactment, with limited state transition relief for pending state legislation.